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Thursday, 14 June 2012

The Alhambra.......

.......or at least a part of it. Yesterday, in the company of good friends Bruce and Russ, we headed to Granada, a journey of two hours drive to the east of Olvera. We had pre-booked tickets to visit The Alhambra at 4pm so we arrived at about midday to allow us time to also see a little of the city.

After parking the car, we headed towards the Cathedral, pictured above, and the pleasant aroma of the nearby tea and spice stalls.

It was very hot so a refreshment break in the Plaza Nueva was more than welcome.

A dish of tapas was provided to accompany our drinks. Here, delicious chorizo with chips.

Certainly hot enough to warrant a cold shower and a cool drink.

After a short while we headed upwards towards the Alhambra, according to the tourist office a walk of about 10-15 minutes (turned out to be 25-30 minutes). This Segway passed us along the way.

The old and narrow streets of "El Albaicín", the ancient Moorish district of Granada.

Bruce and Russ were enticed into one or two of the many shops along the route for a little retail therapy.

The entrance to the Alhambra complex at the top of Cuesta de Gomérez.

Note Russ's change of shirt since our refreshment stop!. Is that a new one?.

We continued onwards and upwards (where's that Segway when you need it), taking advantage of the shade and seating areas along the way.

The Alhambra as seen from the old part of the city.

Arriving at just before 4pm, we entered the complex and headed towards the Alcazaba.

The Church of Santa María.

The Palace of Charles V and below the internal auditorium and concert area.

The "Puerto del Vino" (Gate of Wine), the entrance into the Alcazaba.

The Alcazaba offers stunning views over Granada and beyond.

Cooling water fountains in the gardens.

Unfortunately age, heat and lack of energy determined that after a couple of hours it was time to head home. The Alhambra is a huge complex of palaces and gardens and on this trip we sadly didn't manage to view the Nasrid Palaces area. So a return trip is definitely planned for the future..... perhaps on a cooler day.

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